Jasmine Knight

Chapter 4

Close Call


"Judy." Hua Fei told her anemonite coworker as she stocked a shelf, "Um... Can I tell you something?"

"Sure." Judy turned to her, "What do you need, Hua?"

"Something came up tonight, can you please take my shift?" asked Hua as she looked at a nearby newspaper.

"Well you're in luck." Judy smiled, "I finished my college essay yesterday so I could do it!" she snapped her fingers and grinned.

"Oh.. thank heavens." Hua sighed in relief and nodded, "Much gratefulness." she bowed.

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"Are you absolutely sure you want to raid FOCUS tonight?" Crowder said in a worried voice as Hua Fei suited up, "You do understand that this time they're bent on stopping your little raids!"

"Well I am hell-bent on stopping them." Hua informed as she placed on her little mask, "Crowder, you must understand... If it wasn't for the existence of black ink, my grandmother would not have been splatted." she grumbled

"Look, just please be very careful!" Crowder warned, "FOCUS has been blasting propaganda all week in order to show their paramilitary might!" he informed, "And all has been aimed to the 'girl in the suit'."

"Good, they're afraid of me..." Hua unsheathed her Inkbrush and looked at Crowder, "And fear is what they should feel." she jumped out of the Pharmacy window and sped off.

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"Whatever you do... Don't let that girl escape with her life." an Urchinian FOCUS operative said as he put on some night vision goggles, then jumped on a convoy truck.

The Urchinian's squad followed suit, all taking postions around the armored vehicle.

However, before it even took off, Jasmine Knight was on their case, and the familiar armored motorcycle cut their exit.

"What the- AGH!" the driver was stunned by very bright lights coming from the motorcycle, "Aaaa-"

KRASHOOM! Jasmine Knight eject from her bike and rocketed into the driver's cabin, "Hyah!" she yelled and struck the driver and his co-driver with her Inkbrush.

The two Inkling men were knocked out of the count, letting Jasmine Knight turn her attention to the cargo hold. Believing the guards had not yet boarded, she opened it without second thought.

"Haha!" the guards yelled and pointed their splattershots at her.

"HA!" Jasmine Knight gasped in fear, "No-"

"HRAH!" one of the guards fired his military grade Blaster, striking Jasmine Knight directly.

"AUGH!" Jasmine Knight cried as she was sent flying out the window, then landed roughly on the cement, "Ah... I can't... believe it..." she panted and saw the guards exit the caravan.

"Well welll well." the Urchinian leader chuckled, "Looks like we finally snagged the perp." he aimed his Splattershot Pro, "Little morsels like you have a short life in the sea." he taunted.

"Ha... I was so blinded by the opportunit- AGH!" Jasmine Knight was shot in the head, causing a terrible burning pain to throb her skull.

"Enough of that!" the Urchinian leader told the Shrimpite who fired, "Don't torture her, just end her... This batch has to be on the next plane to Mexinko City."

"I won't let... it..." Jasmine Knight stood in pain, "I... won't let you spread this cancer to the world... I'll stop the dreaded black ink before it reaches all around the globe." she took out her Inkbrush, but was immediately fired upon by the guards.

"There she is." the Urchinian leader scoffed as he saw Jasmine Knight was completely laid waste, "I'll take the las-" he stopped when an old Inkling man appeared, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

The old man stood and looked at the defeated Jasmine Knight.

"Get out of here, you geezer." the leader growled, "I'm warning you." he aimed his weapon at him.

The old man looked at the Urchinian with defiant eyes, and then pulled out a blue colored Inkbrush tipped with white ink.

"He's armed!" one of the guards yelled and they all started to fire.

The old man closed his eyes and extended his arm, signaling stop with his hand- this action caused all the black ink headed his way to stop midair.

"Huh?" the guards gasped when they saw their entire blast power just floating midair.

"Leave while you still have a chance." the elder said and made the ink fall to the ground.

"Take this!" another guard fired his blaster, only to have his weapon spew out black ink harmlessly, "What the-"

"You know not the ways of the Zen." the old man breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, then made all the blank ink ammunition of the weapons spew out weakly.

"Hrr... Don't you make a fool of us!" the Urchinian leader yelled and pulled out a splat bomb, then aimed to throw it at the old man.

"Hah!" the elder said and caused the bomb to detonate in the Urchinian's hand, instantly splatting the threat and causing the other guards to look aghast.

One by one, the guards stepped back and finally bolted back into the distrubution center behind them.

"Serenity is the key to Defense." the old man huffed out air and then turned back to Jasmine Knight, who was completely out for the count, "You have much to learn, young Defender." he shook his head.

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"Agh..." Hua Fei awoke in the pharmacy, surrounded by Crowder and Judy, "Where... Where am I?"

"I came as soon as Crowder told me, Hua!" Judy told her, "Are you ok? What happened?!" she asked worrriedly.

"I believe Hua still needs time to gather her thoughts, Missus." Crowder spoke as he looked at Hua, who was disoriented, "But she can rest assured her accessories were still with her when I found her."

"Oh..." Hua Fei sighed in relief and then sat up, feeling the comfort of Crowder's bed under her, "I.. I guess I hung out with the wrong crowd." she laughed weakly.

"Did the-"

"Missus, Hua Fei just had a little too much Puffer Juice." Crowder interceded for Hua, "she was a little tipsy when I found her."

"Oh, Hua..." Judy growled, "I didn't know you drank..." she crossed her arms, "You need to stop." she sighed.

"Alright, Missus." Crowder muttered, "You should start opening up shop." he handed her the key to the Pharmacy door.

"Ok." Judy nodded, grabbed the key, and walked downstairs.

"What happened?" Hua Fei asked Crowder as she felt the bandage on her head, "All I remember is the... all of them..."

"All of t-"

"I thought there was no guards, but I guess I was wrong." Hua Fei muttered, "But hear me out, these weren't regular guards. These were more- militarized." she shuddered.

"I told you FOCUS was a paramilitary organization!" Crowder scolded her, "And when they're serious, they don't play! Remember the workers strike!"

"That's why they have to be stoppe-"

"No, Hua Fei." Crowder grumbled, "I didn't bring you into this country to be splatted. Mansplattan is a beautiful city with many opportunities... I don't want to see you waste away as a petty criminal in FOCUS's eyes."

"Huh..." Hua Fei sighed, and then looked at Crowder, "I need to stop them.. Crowder, you must understand."

"I do." Crowder held her hand, "But you must understand that your grandmother would want you to be alive for her sake." he sighed, "I doubt my words will get through to you.. so I'll just g-"

"Hua, there's a man looking for you." Judy came up the stairs, "Says he needs to find a skin cream that's specially imported."

"Hua is feeling a bit hurt right now." Crowder said, "I'll go help the man."

"Ok." Judy nodded, "He says it's the Khingan brand."

Hua's ears perked up, then she shuffled out of the bed, "I... I'll go." she stood and nearly sprinted down.

"Hu- Huh..." Crowder sighed and shook his head.

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Hua Fei looked around the Pharmacy, and then saw an old inkling man standing there. She was instantly captivated by the man's traditional oriental clothing.

"Hua Fei." the man said, "I nee-"

"This is a domestic Pharmacy, we do not carry that brand." Hua Fei spoke, "We don't carry the Khingan brand.. But.. I do." she said and opened a briefcase she had stored behind the front counter.

"My name is Junjie Fa." the old man said as he looked at the items, "Pleasure to meet you." he bowed.

"Same here." Hua Fei bowed, then looked at him, "So... which one do you want?"

"I want the one that can heal the wounds of black ink." Junjie said and showed his scarred hand, causing Hua to become riled up.

"Who did that to you!" Hua Fei growled angrily and slammed her fist, "If only I had been there! I would have surely stopped them, sir!" she bowed in apology.

"Well it was a couple of goons from a FOCUS distribution plant." Junjie responded, causing Hua Fei to become a bit bitter, "Yes... a FOCUS distribution plant at Mansplattan's West Industrial District."

Hua Fei stood in disbelief, "How... How..."

"How do you think you arrived here?" Junjie muttered and then pulled out a white framed Inkbrush, "Jasmine Knight." he read the characters on the hilt.

Hua Fei looked at him and grabbed his arm.

"Come with me."


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